Elliott p



E. P. GLEASON.

FLEXIBLE TUBING. No. 46,558.2

y NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELLIOTT P. GLEASON,

To all tlv/0m t may concern Be it known that I, ELLIOTT P. GLnAsoN, ofthe city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have inventeda new and Improved Flexible Tubing for Conveying Illuminating Gas andfor other Purposes; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing, making part of this specification, in which-Figure l, represents the improved spiral wire frame work of my flexibletubing. Fig. 2, is a vertical section of the same. Fig. 3, is a verticalsection of my improved tubing in which both the internal and externalsurfaces of the wire frame work are covered. Fig. el., represents apiece of my improved tubing in which only the external surface of thespiral frame work is covered.

` Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

My invention consists, first, in forming the spiral wire frame work orfoundation of flexible tubing, of flattened wire or its equivalent;secondly, of an article of flexible tubing composed of a spiral framework of flattened wire or its equivalent and an imperviousexternalcovering or both an i' ternal and external"covering substantially ashereinafter specified.

The said wire frame work (Figs. l and is formed by first passing metalWire between drawing rolls to flatten it to the proper degree andafterward winding it upon an arbor of a suitable diameter to givethe'desired bore to the tubing. Thev advantages resulting from the useof flat wire for this purpose are numerous, among others: it lays moreevenly in winding, forming a complete tube of itself, with a smooth andeven surface which is better adapted to receive a braided externalcovering, than a frame work of round wire. Again, the flat wire framework occupies less space diametrically, and in thickness than the roundwire frame work, and the covering is not as much affected by bendingwhen flat wire is used, and is therefore less liable to crack and becomeleaky.

The spiral frame work formed of flattened wire is so thin, that it willadmit of a thin interior and exterior covering which considering thecloseness and evenness with which the flat wire may be wound forms aSpecification of Letters Patent No.

light impervious and durable tubing when or NEW YORK, N. Y.

FLEXIBLE TUBING.

46,558, dated February 28, 1865, m "if l formed as hereinafterspecified, while the same coverings upon a round wire frame work wouldgreatly increase the exterior diameter' ofthe tubing, or diminish theinterior diameter Vor bore of the same. `And when an interior coveringis dispensed with, the latness of the interior surface of the spiralframe work together with its smoothness, and compactness renders it farsuperior to the round vwire for this purpose.

The tubing composed of the flat wire frame work with an internal andexternal covering is fully shown by transverse section in Fig. 3. Thisdescription of tubing may be made by wrapping one or more thicknesses ofthe vulcanizable compound of caoutchouc, or like material upon a' metalrod of the diameter required for the bore of the tubing, (the said rodbeing rubbed with soap or some material that will prevent the compoundfrom adhering to it) and then windin-g thereon the flat wire, or drawingthe wire frame work (which has been wound separately) over the compoundon the rod, after which the external surface of the wire is wrapped withone or more thicknesses of t-he sheet vulcanizable compound ofcaoutchouc, which is rolled to an even surface and a cylindrical formbetween two smooth flat surfaces. is then subjected to the well knownvulcanizing process, or any other by which the compound will besufficiently cured or treated to render it elastic, and make it adhereto the interior and exterior surfaces of the metal frame work, afterwhich operation the metal rod is withdrawn and the tubing is ready foruse.

The flat wire frame work maybe covered with other material besidescaoutchouc compound, as for instance braid work or a woven fabric whichis made to adhere to the metal surface, by saturating the fibrousmaterial with rubber cement (so called) or with boiled linseed oil', orvarnisher, in which case the wire should be wound with some spacebetween the convolutions of the wire in order that the material withwhich the covering is saturated may penetrate and pass between theconvolutions of the frame work and connect the internal and externalcoverings through and through the same and hold them firmly to the framework when the saturating material becomes dry, or is properly cured.

The tubing compound of the flat wire framework and an external coveringis fully shown in Fig. 4. lThis description of *tubing may be made byenveloping the external surface of the Wire frame Work f, with acovering of braid D, the frame Work being first coated with rubbercement or varnish after which the braid (D) is saturated With Severalcoats of boiled linseed oil, Vor varnish each of vvhich is allowed todrybefore another is applied. This saturated braid is then covered with aWrapping Vof'sheep or calfskin Lkcut into a strip the edges'skived tomatch and cemented'so that by Windinfv the strip upon the braid spirallythe skive edges `Will be firmly united and thereby form a close sheathor covering. This leather is Y thenV stuffed with neats-foot oil,tallovv or other suitable material, Which While it closes the pores ofthe leather will lubrioate its surface slightly and over this lubricatedcovering I lay another one of braidB, Yand this I saturate and coverwith boiled oil, varnish,

or other material that Will render the braids ed covering impervious togas, or Water, which completes the tubing, and it is ready for use.

render the tubing more supple and less likely t to crack by bending.

Having described `my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent y l. The spiral frame Work of flat Wire, substantially asdescribed for the purpose specilied.

2. I claim a flexible tubing` composed of a spiral frame Work of flatWire or a fiat metal strip and an `impervious external covering, or bothan internal and external covering substantially as described.

3. I claim the lubricating impervious covering of leather, substantiallyas described.

ELLIOTT P. GLEASON. Witnesses ISAAC A. BBOUNELL,' REUBEN S. PIERCE.

